Ho.  69. 


PRODIGAL  SONS, 


BY   KEV.   DANIEL  A.  Vfc'-NICK,   SR.,  Rorhjj  Rirr/',  X.    C. 


Surely  there  are  many^prodigal  sons  in  the  arm}".     They 
are  the  loved  ones  of  praying  christian  parents,  wives  and 
sisters.     They  have  been  trained  up  and  educated  for  God. 
Having  created  them  and  preserved  them,  given  his  Son  to 
redeem  them  and  his  Spirit  to  quicken  and  sanctify  them  ; 
lie  is  emphatically  their  Father,  and  justly  claims   their 
confidence  and  affection — their  obedience  and  devotmn.as 
his  children.      But  they  have  ignored  God  as  their  Father, 
have  departed  from  Hiin,  and  fehosetf  to    have    their  own 
way.     Ail  this  have  they   dune  -by    neglecting    his  word, 
following  their  own  devices,  profaning  his  name,  desecra- 
ting the  Sabbath    day.    restraining  prayer,  rejecting    his 
Son  as  a  Saviour,  resisting  the  iloiy -Spirit,  standing  ai< >of 
■from  his  el:";;u-u.  and  joining  themselves,   in  fbeiT  pvefer- 
effees  and  a     isolations.  wittt.Ms  enemies,      The  prodigality 
here  charged,  is    not    the  wasting    <4'   the  goods    of  ionr 
tavtirly    i     e   •       ■   '    perverting   aiwJ    wasting  —  f fie    time, 
totenta  and  c      ur  unities  wfcfech  your  heuVeinly  i'uiher  has 
given  you.     Young  men,  however   brave    you    may  be  as- 
soldiers,  are  you  not  prodigals  in  the  sense  of  the  piarable. 


2         Z  -:'.'■. 

f see  Luke,  15    chapter,0)  and    in    the  sight  of  &od   your 
Make*? 

These  prodigal  soldiers  too  are  rapidly  approaching  a 
state  of  want,  when  come  to  themselves,  they  will  deeply 
feel  that  they  have  no  spiritual  nourishment,  that  their 
souls  are  perishing  with  hunger,  and  that  they  are  now 
pa-ting  the  husks  oT  sin,  and  of  this  wicked  woild.  Al- 
ready are  they  assured  that  God  is  angry  with  them,  their 
own  hearts  also  condemning  them.  They  are  afraid  to 
die,  and  yet  they  may  fall  in  the  next  battle,  or  by  disease, 
aj  any  moment.  Soldiers  that  are  impenitent  and  unbe- 
lieving ;  is  not  the  case  of  the  prodigal  son  emphatically 
your  case  ?  Should  disease  or  a  mortal  wound  'suddenly 
place  you  upon  the  bed  of  death  j  have  you  any  scriptural 
hope  of  eternal  life  ?  Have  you  not,  on  the  contrary,  a 
foreboding  and  dread  of  eternal  death  ? 

Then,  imitate  the  example  of  the  scriptural  prodigal  in* 
the  following  particulars,  viz  ; 

1.  Remember  your  heavenly   Father,  and    that  in   his    %  — , 
house  there  is    enough    and  to  spare.     In  his  house   are  JJ3  *% 
many  mansions,  and  He  is  plenteous  in  mercy.     He  hath   jZ.  53 
u  no  pleasure  in  the  death  of  the   wicked,    but    that   the 
wicked  turn  from    his  way  and  .-live."     He  has    sent  his 
only  begotten- Son  to  prepare  the  way  and  call  them  back 
to  Him;  and  the  Holy  Spirit  to  draw,  quicken    and    sanc- 
tify them.     In  Jesus  Christ,  under  the  influences  of  the 
Spirit,  there  is  wisdom,  strength,   righteousness,  sanctifi- 
cation  and    complete   redemption.     He  has   food  for   the 
hungry,  clothing  for  the  naked,  cleansing  for  the  polluted, 
and  li.o  fjjjr  dead  souls.     And  He  has  made  the  way  plain 
.'uul-eosy  to  ail  penitent  believer?. 

2.  As  dia  the  prodigal,  form  the  purpose  and  be  fully 
persuaded  and  determined  to  return  to  .your  heavenly 
Father.    Say,  in  your  heart  and  by  your  course  of  conduct, 


% 

I  will  arise  and- go  to  my  father,  confess  to  him  my  sins, 
and  beg  for  his  mercy.  "  Father,  I  have  sinned  against 
heaven,  and  before  thee  ,and  am  no  more  worthy  to  be 
called  thy  son  :  make  nffe  as  one  of  thy  hired  servants." 
If  you  remain  where,  and  as  you  are,  your  soul  will  be 
assuredly  and  eternally  lost.  If  you  continue  unwilling 
and  undetermined  to  return  to  God,  there  is  no  hope  or 
possibility  of  your  salvation.  God  has  placed  life  and 
death  before  you  iii  the  gospel.  You  must  choose  between 
them.  No  one  else  can  choose  or  determine  in  your  stead. 
Then,  form  the  purpose.  "1  will  rise  and  go  to  my 
Father. "  Had  not  the  prodigal  resolved,  he  would  not 
have  returned. 

3.  But  be  sure  to  act  as  well  as  resolve,  and  act  prompt- 
ly. To  delay  action  is  a  choice  of  continuance  in  sin,  and 
of  death.  It  is  evidence  that  your  great  adversary,  the 
Devil,  has  gained  his  point  over  you.  Then,  arise  at 
once,  have  your  wicked  associates,  and  the  husks  of  sinful 
pleasures  and  indulgences.  Cease  your  neglect  of  the 
Bible,  and  of  prayer,  your  profanity  and  desecration  of  the 
holy  Sabbath.  Call  often  and  earnestly  upon  God  in 
prayer,  confess^your  sins  and  unworthiness  to  Him.  Ask 
him  importunately  for  his  mercy  and  grace.  Take  no  de- 
nial, but  persevere  in  prayer,  as  a  helpless,  starving  beg- 
gar. Without  a  de^p  sense  of  your  need,  a  willingness  to 
give  up  all  your  sifts,  a  desire  to  be  made  holy  a3  God  is 
holy,  and  a  controlling  spirit  of  earnest  prayer  to  God, 
you  have  no  right  to  expect  that  your  heavenly  Father 
will  ever  receive  you.  Forget  not,  however,  that  it  is  not' 
your  resolves,  or  prayers,  or  tears,  or  reformation  that  can 
save:  BuMhat  it  i.v  Hu;  i'Yee  and  sovereign  mercy  and 
grace  of  G-od  alone  that  can  save ;  but  that  He  requires 
repentance,  faith  and  obedience  as  indispensible  terms  of 
salvation. 


4.  Be  encouraged,  nevertheless,  to  resolve,  arise  and 
go  to  your  heaven ly  Father,  confess  and  repent  of  your 
sins  before  Him,  ami  ask  him  for  -his  mercy  and  grace, 
even  the  salvation  of  your  sotils  ;  by  the  results  in  the 
case  of  the  prodigal  son.  How  promptly  and  cheerfully 
did  the  father  receive  and  reinstate  his  returning  son  !  He 
did  not  even  wait  for  his  son  t )  get  through  his  confession 
and  requests.  But  the  Father  paid. to  his  servants,  bring- 
forth  the  best,  robe  and  put  it  on  him;  and  put  a  ring- 
on  his  hand  and  shoes  on  his  feet ;  And  bring  hither  the 
fatted  calf,  and  kill  it:  and  let  us  eat  and  be  merry;  For 
this  my  son  was  dead  ilive  again  ;  lie  was  lost  and 

is  found.  And  they  began  to  be  merry.''  See  Luke  15, 
11—23. 

Soldiers,  are  you  pj  ligal  ions  of  our  great  and  good 
Father  in  heaven  ':     ':  rise  and  retiitti  to  him.     Make 

confession  and  oii'er  prayer  to  Him.  AsmredtyyMG  will 
meet  and  embrace  you  ;  put  the  robe  of  Christ's  right- 
eousness upon  you  ;  and  give  you  a  title  to  a  place  in  his 
house  and  at  his  table;  and  there  shall  be  joy  in  the 
presence  of  God.  as  well  as  in  your  heart.  How  can  you 
stay  away  from  such  a  ffather. 

1  Come,  trembling  sinner,  in  \v!;oe  breast 

A  thousand  tl     i  evolve  : 

Come,  with  your  guilt  and  fear  oppre^s'cl, 
And  make  ft  i:   ;•'  reaoWf: 

2  r-  I'll  go  to  testis    thoi  gh  m\  sin 

fiat}]  like  a   '  m     -     rose] 
T  kao%  fcl*&»  irk   ft]  enter  h 

Whatever  .....     •        (Sfe.        > 

(i  i:.i  can  but  perish  il'I\go,  ♦ 

*1  am  resolved  to  try  ; 
For  if  I  stay  away,  I  k  now 
1  must  forever  die." 


